Sweden Reveals World Cup Roster with Key Players and Notable Omissions
Sweden coach Graham Potter has announced the final 26-player roster for the World Cup, featuring Liverpool forward Alexander Isak and Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres, while Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski has been left off the list.
Isak has faced a challenging season at Liverpool, having started only eight league matches since his record transfer from Newcastle last summer due to injury. He and Gyokeres are among the 11 British-based players included in the squad.
“When you’ve had a long-term injury, it is never a straight road back. There is often one step forward and one step back,” Potter said during a press conference in Stockholm. “Our challenge is to get Alex the best moment of the season and for him to hit top form, because if he does, he is a world-class player.”
Kulusevski, also 26, has been recovering from knee surgery undergone in May 2025. Potter described the decision to omit him as “very, very difficult,” noting the challenges he faced during the past year and the timing of his recovery with only four and a half weeks until the tournament.
Other players who did not make the roster include FC Dallas’ Herman Johansson, Celta de Vigo’s Williot Swedberg, and Barcelona winger Roony Bardghji, although Johansson will serve as a reserve during pre-tournament friendlies.
Sweden qualified for the 2026 World Cup by defeating Ukraine and Poland in the playoffs, bouncing back from a challenging qualifying campaign where they managed just two points without a win.
Gyokeres played a vital role in Sweden’s efforts, scoring a late winning goal against Poland in March, securing their spot in the World Cup for the first time since 2018.
Notable players on the roster include midfielders Yasin Ayari (Brighton) and Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham), Aston Villa defender Victor Lindelof, Celtic forward Benjamin Nygren, and Newcastle winger Anthony Elanga.
Before heading to their World Cup base camp in Frisco, Texas, Sweden will compete in friendlies against Norway on June 1 and at home against Greece on June 4. They will begin Group F play against Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico on June 14, followed by matches against the Netherlands in Houston on June 20 and Japan in Arlington, Texas, on June 25.
SWEDEN WORLD CUP ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS: Viktor Johansson (Stoke City), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (AIK), Jacob Widell Zetterstrom (Derby County)
DEFENDERS: Hjalmar Ekdal (Burnley), Gabriel Gudmundsson (Leeds United), Isak Hien (Atalanta), Emil Holm (Juventus), Gustaf Lagerbielke (Braga), Victor Lindelof (Aston Villa), Eric Smith (St. Pauli), Carl Starfelt (Celta Vigo), Elliot Stroud (Mjallby), Daniel Svensson (Borussia Dortmund)
MIDFIELDERS: Taha Ali (Malmo), Yasin Ayari (Brighton), Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham), Jesper Karlstrom (Udinese), Ken Sema (Pafos), Mattias Svanberg (Wolfsburg), Besfort Zeneli (Union St-Gilloise)
FORWARDS: Alexander Bernhardsson (Holstein Kiel), Anthony Elanga (Newcastle United), Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Alexander Isak (Liverpool), Gustaf Nilsson (Club Brugge), Benjamin Nygren (Celtic)